The continuing development of newer generation telecommunications equipment has provided the benefit of a steady increase in the power density of such equipment (i.e., an increase in operating capacity using the same size or even smaller components). As a result of this increasing power density, newer generation telecommunications equipment dissipates more heat during operation than older generation equipment. There is a growing awareness that telecommunications equipment, such as electronic equipment and back-up power batteries, experience decreased operating performance and life-span when operated at high temperatures. Therefore, newer generation telecommunications equipment that is installed in weatherproof cabinets requires sufficient cooling to ensure optimal operating performance and life-span.
A number of existing weatherproof cabinets rely on the natural convection of the heat dissipated from enclosed equipment to the exterior cabinet walls where it is then conducted out to the external environment. However, such natural convection cooling techniques are typically not sufficient to provide the cooling needed to promote optimal performance of newer generation telecommunications equipment. Other existing weatherproof cabinets attempt to provide sufficient cooling by various methods. However, such existing cabinets typically fail to provide sufficient battery cooling or fail to provide sufficient battery cooling without the undesirable accumulation of excessive particles and debris on the batteries and/or other enclosed equipment, which typically also causes decreased operating performance and life-span.
Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that there is a need for improved systems and methods which address the above-mentioned, as well as other, shortcomings of existing systems and methods.